Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2 before 3
by Kompi
Summary: Several years after the infamous second impact, a third angel has appeared to wreck havoc upon humankind. All hope now lies with the Evangelion pilot Asuka Langley Sohryu and her ability to combat this new threat.
1. Chapter 01 - Angel against Angel

Neon Genesis Evangelion: '2 before 3'  
Chapter 01 - Angel against Angel  
An NGE fanfic by the not-so-great Kompi.  
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This is.. probably. .what would be refered to as a 'Derevative work' of an anime series known as 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' by the company 'Gainax'. Gainax owns all rights to their licenses, copyrights and such stuff.. and wether I or them own the specific rights for this derevative work I don't know. (Copyright laws are funny things.. uhm..)  
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This was actually my first NGE fanfic idea, though Neon Genesis Plushievangelion beat it to completion of the first chapter/episode. It explores how things could've been if Asuka was transfered to deal with the third angel rather than Shinji; though she's still the pilot of Unit-02.  
  
Now I know my interpretation of the characters is most likely to be off what some think of them, and moreso that I'll probably stray from my own interpretation too; so part-time out-of-characterness can be suspected. Though some of it is intended - events form the mind.. so with events happening differently, the minds will also be molded differently.  
  
..also I don't know if the rating or genre is on point or not. (It will consist most of that the original series held.) Enlighten me if you feel it is off, okay?  
  
Eh.. enough of my pointless babbling. Let's get to the point.  
  
Happy reading -_^  
-Kompi  
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"Due to the special state of emergency, all lines are currently unavailable.". Asuka Langley Sohryu stared at the reciever like it had stabbed a knife in her back before forcefully replacing it on the phone hook. So much for trying to contact Captain Katsuragi. A stray glance down at her wristwatch told her exactly what she already knew.  
*Damnit! She's late!* Asuka thought, visibly annoyed. After a month of waiting - a month of being seperated from her Unit-02 - she had finally been sent on a flight to Japan. Now she was standing beside the closest pay-phone she had found outside the airport: they hadn't let her stay and use the ones inside after the call for evacuation had sounded. She didn't bother look around for a car - in this silence she was sure to hear it; especially from what her beloved Kaji had told her about Misato Katsuragis' driving style.. It was too bad Kaji wouldn't be going to Japan yet, she would rather stay with him than alone; not to mention with someone else.  
  
Her hands hit her ears before the loud bang registered in her mind. A loud rumbling slowly tuned out into nothing as she uncovered her ears, her face having a pained expression as she looked around for the source of the sudden noise.  
  
Several VTOL attack-craft backed out from behind a hill on the edge of the city, followed by.. by.. a.. 'thing'..  
"..Angel..." she wispered, knowing instantly what it was even though she had never seen this green monstrocity before. It was ugly: bone-like things protuding like its oddly green flesh couldn't cover its skeleton. It had a 'head' that looked like some flat skull of a bird, and below a red orb glowed like some odd heart.  
  
A sharp roar tore through the sky as homing rockets passed by not too far above her head; she ducked instinctively and felt the airflow tug at her light yellow sundress. She traced the rocket exhausts with her eyes as they joined up with many more and took up a heading towards the the green demon - because there surely was nothing angelic about that beast!  
*Idiots! Don't you know they can't be harmed THAT way?!* her mind practically yelled at whoever was in charge of the many VTOL craft hanging in the air. Nevertheless, the angel actually recoiled somewhat - probably more of shock than anything - when the burning blossoms of fire and dust bloomed all over its body, covering it from view. If her eyes hadn't been locked on the spectacle happening in the distance, she'd surely shaken her head by now.  
  
As the dust cleared the angel formed some sort of energy spear out of one of its hands - easilly reaching twice its length - and spiked a VTOL craft high in the air above her, sending it on a merry flight to the ground. She instantly recoiled a few steps as the wreckage smashed into the pavement not too far from where she stood. An oddly sounding shriek turned her attention back to the angel, only to see it 'jumping' like carried by wings - straight to where she was standing..! Its gigantic foot impacted with the smoking wreckage causing an explosion that pushed her to a sitting position on the ground - arms covering her face trying to ward away anything that might harm her.  
  
Somehow even with the air rushing by her ears and her eyes closed eyes still seeing the burning fire she heard a car stop by. As the furious air calmed down she looked sideways to see a smiling Misato Katsuragi opening the door of a blue car to let her in.  
"Sorry I'm late! Did you wait long?" she asked, her black dress and dark shades looking really unfit with the scenario of a huge monster bent on crushing the town just a few meters ahead of them. Asuka shook the confusion and thoughts out of her head and bolted to the empty seat, shutting the door tightly behind her and scrambling for the belt as Misato switched in the reverse and floored the accellerator. The wheels shrieked as the car rushed to take them away from the mayhem before them, though still it wasn't fast enough to get hit by a few peices of stray debris from the military engaging the giant monster before them. Asuka sighed in relief as Misato made a 180 degree turn and slammed in the first gear. She was finally on her way...  
  
--  
  
It was happening. It was finally happening! Everything had gone just perfect: The military had not only failed to destroy the angel, but had failed to cause any damage even close to fatal. Both the top military commanders and those annoying members of SEELE had granted him full control in dealing with the angel threat. The hand had finally been dealt, and he held all the aces. His long and intricate plans were finally on their way of becomming reality.  
  
Right now, the only grain of sand in his machinery was the reliance of captain Katsuragi. The woman had taken on the responsibility of bringing the second child - the pilot for Evangelion unit-02 - to the geofront; the issue was that she was taking her sweet time doing so. Any delay in launching an attack could prove fatal.  
  
Considering his options he came down to only one conclusion - he didn't like it.. but there was no other way. He used one of the communication arrays and contacted his second-in-command, sub-commander Fuyutsuki.  
"We can't afford to wait for the second anymore. Get Rei." he said, not even bothering to wait for the other to greet him.  
"Can we use her?" came the reply.  
"She isn't dead." the commander answered coldly. He didn't like putting Rei at risk - she was far too important for his plans; but drastic situations required drastic measures.  
"Sending Rei?! But commander..! She barely manages to sync with either Unit-00 or 01; and both resulted in accidents! The chance that she'll be able to sync with..." Ibuki - one of the bridge operators - argued.  
"We have no other choice." Gendo said calmly, though he had to repress the urge to frown. The young woman was right: Rei had little to no chance of being able to use Evangelion Unit-02 even if she hadn't been wounded - which she was. He cursed SEELE; the old men had moved Unit-01 to germany for what they had called 'ease of repair', though he knew it was to punish him for letting Rei try to pilot it. Unit-01 had rejected her, just as Unit-00; but alot more forcefully. So he had been stuck with Unit-02 for a month while arrangements were made for moving its pilot to Japan.  
  
Now when his plans had finally been set in motion, he was balancing on a very thin line. This was exactly the kind of thing that could send everything falling down; the kind of thing he absolutely did not need. Though he had sent for Rei himself he knew her chances of success was very close to none. It was all up to the blasted captain Katsuragi now..  
  
--  
  
'Annoyed'. Asuka wasn't sure if the word was strong enough to describe her current mood. Not only had Misato been late, but she had gotten LOST - at a time like this! They had wandered around for what seemed like forever until they had met up with Doctor Akagi who had then led the way.  
  
Right now, Asuka was sprinting towards the cages where she would assume control of Unit-02 and await launch. Thinking of the entry plug made her aware of yet another source of her annoyance: Akagi had told her her plugsuits hadn't arrived yet. What kind of crappy administration was that? Now she'd have to pilot in what she was wearing; she silently hoped LCL wouldn't ruin the thin fabric of her sundress.  
  
The doors hadn't even opened when Asuka gave up waiting and nimbly slid past them and into the cages. She hadn't taken many steps before the ground around her shook violently and sent her stumbling - barely avoiding falling on the metal floor. It seemed not all were so lucky - her eyes spotted a pale and blue-haired girl dressed in a white plugsuit spawled on the ground. The girl was obviously hurt, wrapped in several bandages; a stretcher also laid fallen beside her. Asuka didn't have to change course to reach the girl: she had been right on the way to Unit-02.  
  
Asuka wasn't stupid; she knew who the girl was and why she was here. They had obviously decided they didn't have time to wait anylonger and had tried to send the first child - injured as she was - into combat against the angel.. in Unit-02. Asuka kneeled down and tried to assess the extent of the injuries of the first child.  
"Don't worry, I'll handle it." she said as soothingly as she could while gently touching the wounded girls' shoulder. In the corner of her vision she caught the sight of three nurses running their way; what they had been doing while this girl had suffered Asuka didn't know. She backed off as the nurses tended to the wounded pilot.  
  
"You took your time, second child." an emotionless and authoritive voice called out. Asuka found the origin a man standing by a window at the bridge above her. She guessed it was the commander.  
"The arrangements to get me here could've been better." she replied knowing very well it wasn't her fault. She tried to judge the commanders' expression but it was hidden behind dark glasses and an emotionless mask.  
"You know what to do.". She nodded once and dashed for the entry plug.  
  
--  
  
While the bridge crew handled the final pre-launch stages Asuka found herself doing nothing but spending time with her mind. She was so preocupied with being bored that she almost didn't notice that the entry plug had been flooded with LCL. An odd sensation passed her - sensory input from the Evangelions body - telling her that she was now sort-of connected with it.  
"Evangelion Unit-02 has reached full activation! Syncronization ratio holding steady at 67.5 percent!" a female bridge crewmember stated. Asuka frowned, she had dropped a bit the last month.  
"Set language to Japanese." Asuka thought out loud, knowing she'd have to get used to it sooner or later: she prefered sooner.  
"Release primary safety locks!". Misato this time. She decided she had to ask later about the names of the other people crewing the bridge. The slight feeling of confindment around the front of her arms released, telling her the holds that had been against them were gone. Suddenly she felt like grinning and had to employ a bit of self-control to keep a serious look on her face. It was strange.. she felt excited, almost giddy; now was her time to shine.  
"EVA unit-02. LAUNCH!". With Misatos' final command Asuka could feel the g-forces pushing her towards her seat as the Evangelion was almost catapulted to the surface. She looked up and after awhile she could see light in the enclosing end of the tunnel.  
"Here I come."  
  
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..while I did plan the first chapter to end here, I did plan for it to be longer at first.. It's just that I found I didn't have enough to fill the dialogue with. I hope it's enough for now anyway though..  
  
Yes that IS Asuka being nice to Rei. I mean.. she _DID_ want to be her friend at first.. before learning how totally devoid of feelings the first child is. She didn't have time to learn yet.  
  
Oh well. I hope I didn't do too bad.  
  
fWhee.  
-Kompi 


	2. Chapter 02 - Strike and Recover

Neon Genesis Evangelion: '2 before 3'  
Chapter 02 - Strike and Recover  
An NGE fanfic spawned from the dark regions of Kompis' mind.  
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This is.. probably. .what would be refered to as a 'Derevative work' of an anime series known as 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' by the company 'Gainax'. Gainax owns all rights to their licenses, copyrights and such stuff.. and wether I or them own the specific rights for this derevative work I don't know. (Copyright laws are funny things.. uhm..)  
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Bleh.. I like trying to suprise people in anything I write.. but some people don't want to read because they don't know it's comming.. so I'll make it clear here once and for all.  
#1. Yes Shinji _IS_ comming into the fic.. you'll just have to wait 'til.. what.. chapter 4 or 5 something. I've got ideas for that scene pretty set already.  
#2. Yes Shinji _IS_ still the hero of the universe. That's not what I intended to change. What I did want to try is giving Shinji a different angle from this whole piloting thing.. AND give Asuka a different viewpoint on Shinji.  
The main thing I liked about the idea for this fanfic was the different interaction I could set up between the second and third child. And no I won't tell what kind 'til the fanfic reaches that point. I want to keep SOME suprises still hanging around..  
  
..For those that read 'fics just for Shinjis' sake.. well.. consider the first 4-5 chapters a prologue.. or something..  
  
Oh well.. I hope it'll end up somewhat interesting.  
  
Happy reading. -_^  
  
-Kompi  
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The third angel was continously assaulting the dead structures of Tokyo-3 with a sort of energy blast, attempting to get past the surface and down to what it sensed below. It wasn't sentient in the way humans would describe it; it could identify itself from others, adapt to new surroundings and solve puzzles by a sort of reasoning.. But it wasn't caught up in the petty internal struggle that dominated humankind. It had a purpose and it followed it; with unquenchable resolve and deadly accuray.  
  
It sensed something happening - there was movement.. a feeling of kinship towards one of the structures. Something walked out.. a red being, depicted in the image of their common origin. But this was not it - it was an obstacle; an enemy. Controlled by the other spawn.  
  
It began walking towards this threat, knowing it had to be neutralized before the purpose could be met. It would feel no joy or regret doing so; it was simply something that would be done, no different than taking a step to walk.  
  
In the distance, its red opponent picked up speed and rushed toward it.  
  
--  
  
Asuka kept her EVAs' weight center low and its upper body coiled in preparation for the strike. She had the whole scene laid out in her head before she even reached the angel, her trained mind already having a good idea of where was best to strike to throw the green monstrocity off balance. The angel leaned forward and tried to swipe at her before she reached it; she willed her EVA even lower to the ground and passed swifly under the blow. She made a quick smirk as her eyes found her target.  
With a swift leap upwards she brought both her EVAs' fists straight into the center one of the two skeletal 'faces' of the angel, using both legs, arms and intertia to put power behind the blow. The angel actually lifted from the ground and sailed a short path before gravity did its magic and sent the green creature colliding with the road, shaking the buildings on either side. Asuka didn't allow her opponent even a moments respite and flung her EVA forward into a leap, landing on top of the downed creature. Using Unit-02s' powerful arms to propell its huge fists against the 'face' of the angel she continued her assault in a vicious rain of blows.  
Somehow the angel must have gotten its legs underneath her EVA, because suddenly it managed to throw her off itself. Like a feline, she gracefully adjusted Unit-02s' weight in the air and landed in a crouch; the angel wasn't so lucky - it stumbled and seemed to have problems to reach a standing position. Asuka grinned and once again charged her prey - she would make short work of it; she'd show everyone!  
  
With her mind set on proving herself it took a few moments before she registered that something kept her evangelion at bay. Before her glowing flat octagonal shapes hovered before her like a wall made of nothing.  
"An AT-field!". Asuka recognized the voice as Dr. Akagis'; she desperately set her mind on trying to remember anything related to AT-fields - the obstacle before her. She had one of her own, didn't she?  
"Unit-02 has activated its own AT-field!" a female member of the bridge staff exclaimed; Asuka ignored the voice - to her it was old news.  
"The fields..! They're neutralizing eachother!" the same female added.  
*Neutralizing? But they're still in place..* Asuka thought, annoyed.  
"No.. they're eroding eachother..!" Akagi corrected, awe in her voice. Asuka was about to contemplate that when the angel tore through her AT-field and lunged for her.  
  
--  
  
Misato Katsuragi stared up at the screen showing the battle, feeling almost horrified. The angel was hunched over the fallen Unit-02, the two now locked in a desperate struggle. Not long ago the angel had used its claw-like hands to tear at the evangelion below it. She could hear the second child voicing her efforts to try and combat the green monster above her.  
"It's preparing to fire..!" Ibuki exclaimed, her voice sounding of some terrified awe. Misato looked up, seeing the red core below the skeletal faces starting to glow.  
*Oh no..*. A frightened gasp came from Asuka Sohryu before the blast detornated straight into the evangelion, brightening up the whole scene.  
"Status?!" she yelled, fighting to keep calm through everything; panic wouldn't do her - or anyone else - any good.  
"No critical damage but the syncronization seems to be breaking up..!" Ibuki yelled back.  
"The pilot is almost unconcious!" Huyga added, only increasing the feeling of dread in Misatos' throat.  
"Asuka!" she called, trying to get the attention of the battered pilot. On the screen the angel was picking up the unresponsive Unit-02, holding its head in its massive hand. By its elbow, the protuding bone began to glow.  
  
--  
  
Asuka desperately tried to chase away the blackness haunting the edges of her vision. After the bright flash most of her body had hurt - really hurt. The pain was fading now but some still remained like a ghost kept alive by her memory; the pain that hadn't even been hers. Suddenly her whole vision became white and pain errupted in and around her right eye. She stiffled a scream as the pain chased away the black clouds and firmly locked her in the painful reality.  
"Asuka! Defend yourself!". Misatos' voice echoed around in her aching head. Forcing herself to observe her situation she noticed the angel covered most of her head with its palm. The right side of her display went white again and it felt like someone tried to stab her eye with a thick sewing needle. She bit back the pain and concentrated on her situation. The angels arm was running away from the palm covering Unit-02s' head.  
With a growl Asuka forced the evangelions arms up and grasped the arm the angel used to hold her with both hands. She used any strength she could assemble and twitched the hands different ways. There was a loud snap and suddenly she was free; she felt her EVA stumble on the ground as she tried to assume a crouch.  
She once again bolted forward, this time willing her AT-field into place. The angel must have done the same, because the two behemoths once again found themselves seperated by the glowing octagonal field.  
"Let's see how you like your own tricks..!" Asuka growled and tried to reach through the AT-field with the hands of her EVA. There was resistance, but she could feel it giving way. She tore through the angels AT-field and lunged for the angel, knocking it to the ground. The red stone in the monster glowed again - Asuka simply held her AT-field in place and took the blast head-on.  
She didn't feel a thing. As the bright light faded she could hear awed whispers from the bridge. She reached up towards the EVAs' shoulder and grabbed the progressive knife that presented itself to her. Grabbing it with both hands she struck the red core of the angel again and again in chopping motions, cracks begining to form in the red shell.  
  
--  
  
It knew it had lost. It didn't really matter - it would be free either way. And the red copy of the first above it? Towering to the skies, bringing doom with swift strikes. It could free the enemy too - the copy that was bound by the ones that held the first and second. Amassing the last of its energy, it lept its mass towards its assailant, forming itself to cling against the red creation. It focused all remaining energy into its already weakening core. Soon freedom would come.  
  
--  
  
Red was all Asuka could see. The red core of the angel pressed up against the face of Unit-02. The darned thing wouldn't let her go!  
"I'm detecting a massive energy buildup..!" Asuka heard the bridge woman yell.  
"It's going to..." Asuka ignored the rest, focusing in the single objective of holding her AT-field up at maximum strength. The red orb before her eyes took on a shining - almost burning - white..  
  
--  
  
Misato and the bridge crew made a collective gasp as the battered Unit-02 slowly walked out of the dust formed when the angel had blown itself to smithereens. The power cable was nothing but a severed stump, but otherwise the evangelion seemed fairly unharmed.  
"Asuka, are you alright?" She asked out loud.  
"Of course! Just get me a way down from here." the young pilot answered, her voice full of bravado. Misato was sure it was just an act, but didn't push the matter.  
"Okay. Get her a lift down to the cages! Have a medical team stand by to check her out just in case.". After a simultaneous 'yes' and the bridge crew set to work Misato allowed herself to relax.  
"Exhausting day at work?" Ritsu asked jokingly, the smirk on her face showing she was trying to lighten the mood.  
"Atleast we won." Misato replied, trying to shake the exhaustion. The victory had been way to close for comfort..  
  
--  
  
"Looks like your things already have been delivered." Misato said, nodding towards the six large paper boxes standing beside the door to her appartment. The girl walking beside her frowned.  
"Only this? I packed alot more.". Now it was Misatos time to frown. 'Alot more' somehow sounded like more than her appartment could take.  
"..Eh.. well.. I guess the rest will arrive tomorrow.."  
"I hope so."  
  
They had reached the appartment by now and as the door swung open Misato was suddenly remembered of the state of cleanliness - or rather lack of thereof - that her appartment was in.  
"Eheh.. sorry if it's a little messy. I just recently moved in myself.". Asuka glanced into the appartment.  
"A little?!". The girls face clearly reflected her words. Misato made a nervous laugh, desperately trying to figure out a way to direct the conversation elsewhere.  
"Err.. Welcome to your new home, Asuka." she said as she walked through the doorway and into her appartment.  
  
--  
  
*Well.. so much for cleanliness* Asuka thought while taking in her surroundings. She had never been one for spotless cleaning, but the Katsuragi residence was defenately stretching her tolerance for a mess. It was simply stuffed with leftovers from instant dinners and empty beer cans.  
"Oh yeah. Could you put the food in the fridge?" Misato called from somewhere else in the appartment.  
*Oh sure. I have nothing better to do.* Asuka mentally replied, holding her tounge. As she was about to do her given task she was confronted with a problem - there was two fridges. Not one but two.  
"Hey what's up with the second fridge?" she asked loudly so Misato would hear.  
"Oh don't mind him. He's probably asleep." came the loud reply. Asuka blinked.  
*_HE_ is probably _WHAT_?*. Was this woman living in some kind of dreamworld or did she really have a sentient fridge? Asuka decided not to ask.  
  
The fridge held little in terms of food. It did have tons of japanese instant stuff and what could be called a large portion of the worlds beer supply, but nothing along the lines of the food Asuka was used to. She quickly stuffed in the extra items they had bought along the way 'home' and silently noted it was more of the same.  
*Does this woman even know about proper food?* Asuka wondered as she closed the fridge and simply deposited the empty bag somewhere in the already existing mess.  
  
--  
  
Asuka observed the food on the table, most still in its original packaging. There was alot of it but she figured that the seemingly low nutritional value would make up for that.  
"Well. Lets eat!" Misato said cheerfully. Asuka only nodded as she started to look through the wares, considering what to make a try at. She WAS quite hungry.. it had been around noon when she had arrived by flight and now it was in the evening, the darkness leaning towards night. All in all, she hadn't eaten since the meal on the aircraft some hour before she landed.  
"It's all good. Even if it's just instant." the woman added like she had seen Asukas problems with deciding.  
  
A loud sort of screaming exclaimation from Misato cut her out of the quest for edible food. She looked up at the source of the noise to see the woman holding an open can of beer and having an odd grinning expression on her face, completed by closed eyes.  
"Life doesn't get any better than this!" Misato exclaimed with the grin still on her face. Asuka blinked; she had seen many different reactions to alcohol during her college days but never the kind she saw just now - this was more like a coffeine rush.  
They started eating moments after that and the silence held for about a minute before Misato choose to break it once more.  
"Isn't this great?". Asuka looked up from her food.  
"Huh?"  
"Eating with someone else.". She pondered that. At home she usually had atleast one meal a day with the rest of the 'family'.. but there it was alot like eating alone - it was like the other people simply didn't exist.. or like she didn't know them at all.. like she was eating in some strangers house. Asuka only shrugged in answer and heard Misato sigh.  
"Well I think so anyway.".  
  
--  
  
Misato frowned slightly, looking at the layout of the paper describing who did which chore when. She had been winning alot in the begining like she had expected but Asuka had caught up and the tables had turned towards the end.  
*Oh well.*. she guessed they'd just have to wait and see how it ended up. The young girl was probably a bit unsettled by so much happening in one day too.. after all, she had arrived after hours in flight just to be thrown directly into an entry plug and sent out to fight the first angel in years.  
  
A suprised 'Ack!' took her out of her musings and she looked up towards the curtain that covered the doorway to the bathroom. She had told Asuka a bath might be good for her and the girl hadn't complained.  
"Perversen Vogel!" came a roar soon after and through the curtain came a very agitated-looking Pen-Pen. Misato blinked. Of course, he had been occupying the bath. Apparently the first meeting between Asuka and her other roomate hadn't been on the best of terms.  
"Asuka? Are you alright?" she asked out loud.  
"Yes! But a perverted.. penguin.. just tried to peek at me!". That confirmed her suspicions.  
"Oh don't worry about him! He's Pen-pen! Your other roommate!" Misato replied trying her best to supress the grin that wanted to come forward. Asuka muttered something which Misato couldn't make out before a door closed. The woman looked over at her 'pet' penguin and found him giving her a curious glance before disappearing into his fridge.  
*Oh well.. I guess they'll come on better terms once the dust has settled* she thought.  
  
--  
  
The water was a comfortable temperature and Asuka felt almost like floating - the water neutralizing most sensory input she had. Without most of the body to worry about, her thoughts roamed free in her head, trying to come to terms with all that had happened on that one eventful day.  
*..Misato is.. .. is..*. Asuka held that thought, desperately trying to realize what the woman was. 'Annoying' was the first thought that had come to mind - after all, they had been late in an emergency.. She had been forced to go through a quick medical check before the woman had been content that she was indeed as fine as she had said and above all she had simply assumed Asuka didn't want to be alone and had promptly proclaimed herself Asukas guardian. But Annoying didn't fit.. of course Misato could be very infuriating but she was also.. kind.. like she wanted to care.  
  
Asuka sighed. Like it or not, she was now officially stuck with a woman twice her age trying to be her guardian, friend and commanding officer all at once.  
*I guess it could be worse..* she thought, considering her 'family' back in germany. Of course to any observer they had looked happy and all that but Asuka knew how it really was. There was no open or shown resentment, but the fact that there was conflicts was obvious. She silently hoped things wouldn't be the same here in the Katsuragi residence.  
  
After a few more attempts at trying to figure the confusing mix between young and old behaviour known as Misato Katsuragi - all failed - the thoughts of the second child wandered to the first child. Ayanami. Rei Ayanami. The girl had looked pretty beat-up when Asuka had seen her.. defenately not in any condition to pilot an Evangelion.. and beyond that the first child was having problems controlling her own Unit-00.. How they had thought the girl could handle Unit-02 in her condition Asuka didn't know.  
What DID disturb the young pilot was how little people seemed to care about the pale first child.. She had looked weak.. almost sickly so.. And yet not even the nurses had shown her more care than they would a tool.. a robot.  
*Of course, she's not as great as me. But still..*. It was disturbing. Asuka didn't like being thought of as a tool.. as a lifeless creation.. A shadow of a repressed memory burst through her mind in an instant before she could push it back down. A doll.. she refused to be a lifeless doll.  
*They won't treat ME that way! I'll show them all!*.  
  
--  
  
A jetlagged Asuka Langley Sohryu was too tired to unpack the stuff that had arrived. The warm bath hadn't exactly made her more awake either - rather the opposite. So when Misato stepped in to talk to her new charge she found the girl in a deep sleep, not even properly under her covers. Misato slowly pulled the blanket over the girl and whispered a 'Good job today Asuka' into her ear before leaving the dark room and closing the door with a paper note saying 'Asukas lovely suite'.  
  
While those words would unconsiously boost the pride and confidence of the young girl, they wouldn't repress the nightmares of memories hidden away comming back to haunt her during the night. But the nightmares and the memories would be long forgotten by the time the girl woke up in the morning, oblivious to what had transpired in her head during the night..   
  
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...whew.. It took longer than I thought it would. And ended up.. well.. slightly different from my original thought.. But it's on track enough. Two more angels before Shinji arrives. fWhee.  
  
And yes.. the first and fifth sections are from the perspective of the third angel. Really, I don't see them as having the same sort of sentience as humans.. not even Nagisa, though he was the closest one. So eh.. We'll see if I dig into the heads of more angels or not.   
  
Oh and if you're wondering why Asuka would have a problem with the AT-field? Well, in the series even _Ritsuko_ is amazed at how Unit-01 breaches the AT-field of the angel.. so I don't think they knew how to do it earlier. (thus, Asuka probably learned how to deal with AT-fields after the berserk Unit-01 found out how). Also the third angel apparently didn't have its AT-field in place all the time; neither does the EVAs'. So it would make sense why they could trade blows before the AT-fields get involved. (Chaos knows I'll probably contradict my own words later.. blergh)  
  
..oh well.. I hope it didn't end up too bad. I'll hope the next chapter won't take too long to write.  
  
'til next time.  
-Kompi 


	3. Chapter 03 - Responsibility of the guilt...

Neon Genesis Evangelion: '2 before 3'  
Chapter 03 - Responsibility of the guilty  
  
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This is.. probably. .what would be refered to as a 'Derevative work' of an anime series known as 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' by the company 'Gainax'. Gainax owns all rights to their licenses, copyrights and such stuff.. and wether I or them own the specific rights for this derevative work I don't know. (Copyright laws are funny things.. uhm..)  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Yay. No really. This part was .. difficult.. but also interesting to write.. considering Asuka and her relation with other people - especially people we don't know.  
I mean.. either I create characters with personalities and use them or simply just mention them as 'classmates' and try to avoid including them as much as possible.. considering they're not exactly 'important' characters.  
  
I tried my best to portray Asuka and Touji as accurately as I could think they'd be in the following situations.. but I realized it was pretty difficult.. as we only know part of how the characters act and have to do alot of 'reading between the lines'.. I hope I wasn't TOO much off.  
  
Happy reading. -_^  
  
-Kompi  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Asuka walked towards the school building before her, having mixed feelings about having to attend it. She was sure she allready knew everything they could teach her - she had allready passed through college with flying colors. It would be boring - sitting there listening to teachers saying things she already knew - but it would also be interesting to have someone to talk to.. someone her own age for once. In college she had been in her own league - several years younger than the other students; however she had also in most cases been several times their betters. And Misato HAD said school partially for her to have someone her own age to socially interact with. Asuka smiled - the woman had more to her than what could easilly be seen.  
  
"Sohryu?". A female voice derailed Asukas' train of thought and kicked her back into reality. The female was a girl Asukas age with a friendly-looking face.  
"Yes?" Asuka asked, though she had a good idea who this girl was.  
"I'm Hikari Horaki, Representative of class 2-A. Let me be the first to offer you welcome." the girl said with a smile. Asuka had been right, it was the class rep alright - how else would she have known her name.  
"Please, call me Asuka.".  
"Only if you call me Hikari.". The girl paused briefly before giving Asuka a bundle of items.  
"Here is your key to your shoe locker, along with the number, a login for the laptop you'll find in your bench and a copy of the school regulations.". Asuka accepted the bundle and began sorting out which parts to place in her bag and which parts to hold on to.  
"We have about a half hour before school starts. Would you like me to show you around?". Asuka nodded. She had a feeling she'd like this Hikari.  
  
--  
  
When the clock signaled for lunch, Asuka almost felt like falling on her knees and thanking whatever diety she could think of for the mercy - the history teacher they had could be called little more than a 'human sleeping pill' and was so obcessed with the second impact that it was sad.  
  
Unlike most other parts of the class she didn't take the direct path to the door but instead walked over to a certain desk by one of the windows where a pale blue-haired girl covered in bandages was residing.  
"Hey first child.". The girl looked up at Asuka, her red eyes having an indifferent yet peircing stare.  
"I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm Asuka, the second child." Asuka continued, holding out her hand towards the first child. The girl just sat there dormant, the same peircing glance. It was uncomfortable, that glance.. It felt like she was staring right into the core of Asukas' soul.  
"..Uhm.. you must be Rei Ayanami, right?" Asuka tried, trying to get some kind of reaction out of the pale girl.  
"Yes.".  
*She talked! She actually talked! Miracles NEVER cease!* Asuka thought sarcastically.  
"..Let's be friends.". To her credit, the first child actually blinked once.  
"Why?". It took Asuka a few moments to recover from that one. Though she didn't allow it to show past her confident exterior, her mind was in a temporary state of panic trying to dig up a reason why she and the pale girl should be friends.  
"Well.. it would be convenient..!" she countered, mentally kicking herself for not comming up with a better reason than 'convenient'.  
"If I am ordered to I will." the first child said simply before standing up and walking by Asuka and out of the classroom.  
*Ordered to?*. What kind of girl was this? Asuka began to understand why the first child seemed to be treated like nothing more than a tool - she was nothing more!  
*Just a puppet.. with someone holding the strings.. A stupid doll for NERV to play with.*. Asuka was suprised at how bitter she suddenly felt.. then she almost remembered and pushed all the thoughts away.  
*Fine! I don't want to be friends with a lifeless robot anyway!*.  
"If it's any consolation, noone that has tried to talk to Ayanami has had much success.". Asuka recognized the speaker as Hikari. Asuka nodded in reply, it was hard to imagine anyone getting through to the first child.  
"It's like she's just some kind of puppet."  
"It must be hard on her, not knowing what it's like to have friends.." Hikari said with a sigh. Asuka shot the brown-haired girl a questioning look.  
*Try to tell that to her* she thought, but didn't say anything. There was a pause as the two were left to their own thoughts for awhile. Asuka noticed Hikari looking her over.  
"..So.. forgot your lunch?". Asukas' mind halted for a few moments before it reminded her of the fact that she would have to bring her own food to eat at this school.  
"..yeah.. didn't have to bring our own at my old school." she said sheepishly.  
"Oh. Well that's okay. You can have some of mine if you want.". Asuka smiled - she would like that very much.  
  
--  
  
Two weeks had passed smoothly. Her locker had finally stopped spewing her with love-letters each time she opened it a few days ago and she was on fairly good terms with most of the girls in class - the ones remaining that was. During the two weeks the class population had falled rapidly and there had been talk of putting students from other under-manned classes into one larger to make up for this shortfall of people.  
  
All in all, it was alot thanks to the angel attack and the people leaving that Asukas' connection with NERV wasn't common knowledge. Misato had told her about trying to keep as low a profile about her position as a pilot - she wasn't to mention anything about her position as a pilot if it could be avoided and could defenately not reveal anything that might be classified. Asuka was used to that - she had gone through college already with the same rules in mind. Besides the first child only Hikari knew - the girl had been asking about why she had moved to Japan and Asuka hadn't wanted to lie to her new friend; thankfully Hikari had been understanding and didn't press for more information afterwards.  
  
Her train of thought stopped at the end of the track just as she passed the gates into school grounds. She glanced around as she walked, trying to spot Hikari. She had taken on an almost instant liking to class representative Horaki - something the fact that noone else knew Asukas' real reason for being in Japan attested.  
Deciding her friend was nowhere to be found Asuka headed for her locker and another day of boring lessons.  
  
--  
  
"Touji.."  
"Suzuhara.."  
Both Kensuke and the class rep seemed a bit suprised to see him - no miracle there, he'd been gone for two weeks without reason. He sat down on the bench next to Kensuke, in good poisition to sit down on his chair in front of him when the teacher came.  
"Did the class population shrink while I was gone or what?" he asked noone in particular.  
"Uh.. Most of them moved out.. I guess they never expected the city to become a war-zone." Kensuke answered.  
"Yeah.. You are probably the only one that actually wants to stay."  
"Mmm-hmm, though I wish they'd show us a bit more of what happened.". Kensuke paused.  
"Speaking of which, where've you been? You didn't get involved in all that did you?".  
"..no.. but my little sister did... she was crushed under a pile of debris.", Touji paused. He didn't have to close his eyes more than briefly to see her laying there in a hospital bed.  
"She's alive.. but she's been stuck in the hospital ever since. Both dad and grand-dad are too busy to get away, so unless I'm there she'll be all alone..". He paused again, feeling that two-week old twinge of anger surface.  
"That robot pilot was so stupid! What was he doing wrecking our own city?!" he almost spat out, speaking with fury. If the pilot hadn't been so clumsy, his sister would still be alright.  
"Speaking of which, have you heard the rumor about the new transfer student?" Kensuke asked.  
"Huh? What transfer student?". Kensuke looked around.  
"Her right over there." he said nodding in the direction of a girl who stood out even more than that Ayanami did. She looked out of place with that long fiery-red hair, but Touji couldn't deny that she was pretty.  
"She transfered while you were gone - came just after the incident. Odd, don't you think?". It was odd indeed. Only people like Kensuke would actually want to be here after the first attack.. And he didn't think she was by the way she seemed to be chatting with the class rep.  
  
The teacher choose that moment to arrive and thus another school day began at the call of the class rep.  
  
--  
  
It was past maths and into history when it happened. A red 'call' message flashed on the screen of Asukas' laptop, signifying someone was sending her a private message. She shruged and clicked to recieve it.  
  
'Is it true that you're a pilot? : Y / N'  
  
Asuka stared at her monitor. Obviously she hadn't been as discreet as she thought she had been. She catiously looking around, searching for the source. Two girls looked like viable suspects, one leaning over to see the others monitor. They gave her a slight wave when they noticed her stare and one of them started typing.  
  
'You're the one, right? : Y / N'  
  
She looked at the screen. The talk of the pilot had only slightly calmed down recently and had been hot since she came to school. And to think it all, the hero everyone was looking up to was her, sitting right there in the middle of them. Of course, these two kids obviously knew.. Misato had said not to speak too much about it, but if they already knew it couldn't hurt right?  
  
'YES'.  
  
"WHAT?!".  
Asuka blinked, shocked. Obviously, the discussion had been less private than she had guessed. She liked being the center of attention but this rampaging class was a bit overwhelming even for her - especially at such close range.  
"Really? Wow! How cool!"  
Asuka didn't really know what to do.. On one part she wanted to jump up on her bench standing above them and glow radiantly like some savior for them to worship, on the other hand it wasn't break yet and she was sure that if she acted too much on this she'd get on Hikaris' bad side - something she defenately didn't want.  
  
"Hey you guys! Calm down! We're still in class you know! Sit down!" Hikari yelled in a vain attempt to control the crowd. Asuka felt sorry for her - she had even heard a few classmates yell back at the struggling class rep.  
  
They were asking her stuff.. alot of stuff.. she had a slight problem keeping up.  
"It's really supposed to be secret, most of it.." she said lamely, more to try to get the crowd under control than anything - she didn't mind her moment of pride but if they were going to ask things it was better if they did it one by one.  
"Aww don't be mean..!" came the dissappointed response from several classmates.  
"Hey, what's the name of the robot?" one asked. Asuka weighted the pros and cons against eachother and figured it wouldn't hurt too much to slip a bit of information.. it was her pride that was on the line.  
"Evangelion Unit-02." she answered, deciding that mentioning it as the first production model would be knowledge off-limits.  
"What's its ultimate attack mode?". She felt tempted to say she was its ultimate attack mode - after all she was in control, her mind was the greatest weapon the EVA could have.  
"A sort of vibrating knife." she answered, remembering the specifications for the progressive knives the EVA units had in the compartments above their shoulders. It wasn't really a lie - the knife was more powerful than hand to hand combat was.. if one used it properly. She had been tempted to mention the AT-field.. but she knew that would be crossing the line.  
"Oh wow! We're so proud of you!"  
"Yeah! So cool!"  
Asuka silently noted that while the girls were just in awe the boys were having some far-away look, almost drooling. She resisted the urge to frown - this defenately would bring on a new wave of pathetic love-letters assaulting her locker. Atleast this time there hopefully would be noone selling pictures of her.. the first week almost every guy in school had had atleast two of those on them.  
  
Somehow she managed to hear the teacher signaling the end of the day over the loud crowd - followed by more attemts by Hikari to get the mob under control.  
  
--  
  
Asuka was on her way home when someone grabbed her left wrist. She spun around in less than an instant and found herself facing a furious-looking boy her age.. She remember seeing the same person in the classroom earlier. She glanced at his hand holding her arm and then at his eyes, her own face twisted in an ice-cold rage.  
"If you weren't a girl, I'd beat you up right here!" the boy said, obviously angry. The parts of her that weren't busy being angry back began wondering whatever she had done him  
"Let go." she said coldly, her voice dripping with promise of doom.  
"No! My sister is in a hospital because of you!" came the angry reply. Asuka blinked, her anger replaced by thoughtfulness for a second.  
"If you hadn't been so clumsy piloting that thing she'd still be alright!".  
"And maybe if she'd been smart enough to go to one of the shelters like people should maybe you wouldn't be here blaming me!" she shot back, furious. He had some nerve blaming her for people getting hurt in during the battle.  
"Now you listen here~". he growled.  
"Or how about if I didn't help you at all - then you'd all be DEAD!" she continued, pressing her offensive. She was winning and they both knew it.  
  
Her face and whole upper body recoiled from the impact, but she kept her footing. The pain didn't come until she already realized what happened.  
*He actually hit me!* she thought. She looked up, seeing his shocked face. Obviously, he was as suprised as she was that he actually had done it. He had let her wrist go though. She snarled - he wasn't about to get away with that.  
*I'll make you sorry for hitting a girl!*  
Her foot made a swift movement and connected nicely with his crotch, sending his hands down to protect the hurt area. She swung her fist around and connected straight with his cheek, sending the boy to the ground. She had trained fighting for years - she wouldn't allow this kind of nobody to cause her any harm without paying for it.  
  
She was aware of someone standing behind her. She swung around swiftly - prepared for trouble - and found Ayanami standing there, the same ever-cold expression on her face.  
"We've got an emergency call." she said before Asuka even had time to ask what she wanted.  
"I'll go." she continued and ran off before Asuka had time to collect her thoughts enough to say anything. That's when the alarms stared. She didn't even grace her advesary with a last look when she turned to follow the same path as the first child.  
  
--  
  
Asuka was deep in her own thoughts when Unit-02 was launched. Even when Misato was explaining a plan of operations she was hardly listening and only caught part of what the woman said. The earlier words still rang through her head.   
  
'My sister is in a hospital because of you!'  
  
Couldn't they apprechiate that she was up there saving their lives?! They'd all be dead if it wasn't for her! It wasn't HER fault a few of them weren't smart enough to take refugee.  
  
The lift reached the top. The wall in front of her slid open letting in the light.  
  
"Just like we planned now, Asuka." Misato said. Asuka didn't remember what they had planned. All she knew was that she had a rifle in her hands, an angel in the city that wanted to die. She slid out of the building and fired, all almost purely out of reflex.  
  
It didn't work as planned, that was for sure. An AT-field was in the way.. but it wasn't supposed to be in the way! It hadn't been in the way last time! Was it the distance? Did she have to close in.. did she have to 'push' her field forward somehow? She knew her own field was in existance, so why wasn't it working?  
  
Misato yelled something. Asuka didn't hear what - she was too busy observing the fact that two pink glowing .. tentacles .. came flying her way. She fell backwards, her rifle and the building next to her slashed in half.  
  
"I'm sending you a spare rifle!". Asuka saw it.. and the distance to it.  
*Not close enough!*. She lept anyway.  
  
She wasn't aware that the thin threads of redish light could be capable of strong pushing but apparently they could. She was knocked of course and into a few stray buildings blocking her flight path. The tentacles struck again all around her and she could feel a slight burning feeling where they had touched her unit-02.  
  
"Umbicial cable loose! Unit-02 has switched to internal power!". Somewhere inside a counter started counting down from 5 minutes.  
  
--  
  
Touji felt.. guilty. What if Kensuke was right - what if he had actually struck a deep nerve with what he had said and done to the female pilot. She had of course hit him back pretty good, but still.. She wasn't exactly winning.  
*..if we all die today it could be my fault..*  
  
He forced the thoughts out of his head. Thinking like that didn't help. A shadow appeared over them. Kensuke screamed. When he noticed something large and red comming their way, he joined in.  
  
--  
  
Her back hurt, her head hurt.. most of her hurt. It had been a long fall to land unprepared - even if the damages were minimal and the LCL had dampened inertia she still felt like the air, no, LCL had been knocked out of her. The huge snakelike angel with its 'laser tentacles' loomed towards her, somehow floating above the ground.  
  
She wasn't aware how she saw it, she suddenly just noticed something by her right hand. Part of her display zoomed and showed two kids her age.. One of them being the one who had accused her of hurting his sister. Her eyes shot back to the angel which now was over her, it's tentacles poised to strike..  
  
She caught them with her hands, holding them in a determined grip. She grit her teeth, trying to shut away the feeling of her hands burning. She was going to prove him wrong - she was going to prove everyone wrong! She could do this! She struggled against the red behemoth above her. A quick glance told her the boys still sat in a place between two huge finger marks - not moving.  
*Darnit! Get out of the way!*. She couldn't fight back if they were so close.  
  
"Asuka! Let them into the entry plug!" Misato commanded.  
"What?!" she replied in sync with Dr Akagi at the bridge. Asuka defenately didn't want those to to watch her battle from the inside. Her mind wondered why they were out there in the first place. "Emergency eject the plug and get them inside. After that head east and pick up a new umbicial cable." Misato said, laying out the plan.  
  
Asukas' world went dark when the EVA did a temporary shutdown and the plug halfway ejected. She heard Misato yell for the two boys to get in and could hear their half-muffled expressions of confusion and protest over being in the LCL-filled entry plug.  
  
The first sign that she was back online was the pain returning to her hands. She tugged at the tentacles, pulling and then pushing with the aid of a foot, actually managing to throw the floating angel away. She stood up, absently noted all the armor on the hands of her EVA was burned away. The controls felt sluggish.. the two children behind her were disturbing her syncronization.  
  
She stared at the angel. She decided it was mocking her.  
*I won't fail..!* she thought, looking at it. She repeated the thought over and over, its loud rythm making her unable to hear what Misato and then later one of the boys had said.  
*I'll show them all!*  
She reached up and grabbed the handle of the progressive knife that slid into place. Holding the knife securely in a position prepared to stab rather than slash she saw the white blade almost begin to glow.  
  
With a low growl she rumbled down the hill.  
  
--  
  
Touji was afraid. He had already cursed himself a thousand times for letting Kensuke drag him into this. If being inside the big robot and having to breathe some odd liquid that made him feel almost ill wasn't bad enough, it seems like the new kid had totally ignored her orders and instead rushed straight towards the snake-like monstrosity before them.  
  
What had she whispered before rushing? 'I'll show them all'?  
  
The strange tentacle-thingies of the monster struck at them.. he suspected they had hit the robot somehow because the pilots face contorted in pain for a moment.  
  
She suprised him when she suddenly roared in anger and the robot lunged forwards. On the display he could see the knife embedd itself in the red orb in the angels 'chest', sparkles flying from the contact. The girls face was placed in some combination between pain, anger and determination. Her breathing was loud and ragged; her eyes burned with a strange blue fire. He wasn't sure which scared him most - the girl in her robot or the monster. They were locked like that for what seemed like an eternity, the monster and the robot: stuck in some sort of death-grip on eachother. The timer on their side counted down the seconds.  
  
The orb before them cracked.  
  
The sparks stopped.  
  
The 'cockpit' went dark.  
  
He could still hear the pilots ragged breaths as they slowly calmed down.  
  
Touji couldn't help but feel sorry for her.  
  
--  
  
"Asuka, are you alright?"  
Asuka frowned. Was she really? She had been hesistant to return to school after the last fight.. she wasn't even sure why. Sure, she had probably made an idiot of herself in front of those two classmates that Misato had had the nerve to let into her entry plug, but otherwise she was just fine.  
"How long will you keep skipping school?". It had been three days. She had done nothing but being holed up in the appartment.. oh sure she had watched TV and so, but in reality she had done nothing but existed.. .. It was weak to be holed up like this just because some nobody attempted to claim she couldn't do the job she had trained for years to do. And they had pitied her! They hadn't said anything, but she had seen their glances when they got out of the entry plug. If she kept this up they'd pity her even more.. It was a disgrace!  
"Not anymore. I'm comming.." she said, trying to push some strength into her voice.  
  
When she did slide the door aside and go out of her room, Misato gave her a proud smile. It lifted Asukas' spirit somehow.. especially after all the complaining the woman had done after her almost-failiure with the fourth angel. Asuka didn't blame her - she was disappointed in herself for almost loosing. It didn't become her - a professional and all. She managed to smile back, suddenly feeling better about herself.  
"C'mon. I'll fix you breakfast before you go. And then I'll drive you to school." Misato said.  
  
--  
  
The weather was dark and gloomy, the rain almost looked like it was made out of gray paint: turning the entire world outside to a dull color. Touji Suzuhara was feeling a bit like the weather actually.  
"It's been three days.." he mumbled out loud.  
"..since we were chewed out?" Kensuke asked, seemingly stuck in his own world of thought.  
"No. Since she stopped comming to school.".  
"Who's 'she'?". Touji frowned - he was sure Kensuke knew very well who he was talking about.  
"The new kid." he replied.  
"What? You worried about her?". Touji considered that. Was he really?  
"..Well..not exactly 'worried'".  
"Touji. For someone being so tactless you can be pretty stubborn at times.". Touji blinked, not sure where this was heading.  
"If you'd appologized then you wouldn't have to spend three days agonizing over it."  
"..I..". The door classroom door opened, effectively cutting Touji off. But where he had expected an older teacher, the new student was.. looking every bit as confident as she ever had. A collective gasp ran through the class that was there, but noone said anything. The class rep stood up and walked over to the girl to greet her, and the two started talking about something.. Eventually a few other girls joined in, though most students remained in their seats and just looked at the scene. Noone was really sure why the girl had been absent for a few days.  
"Well, what are you waiting for then? Or do you wish to spend another day in self-pity?" Kensuke asked with an annoyed tone. Touji sighed as he stood up. Somehow he had a feeling this wouldn't be pretty.  
  
"Uhm..Excuse me.." Touji said as he pushed two girls aside to stand before the new girl, desperately trying to figure out exactly what to say. The angry look he got didn't make things easier.  
"I'm.. I .. appologize.. for what I said and did before.. . I .. It was outta line.." he said nervously, fully expecting her to kick him like last time. He didn't expect what he saw - a slight moment of.. gratitude? He didn't have time to consider it as she slapped him.  
"Fine. But don't try it again. Ever.". Touji nodded, repressing the urge to grin like an idiot. Try it again? Like hell. It had hurt enough the first time.  
He walked back to his desk where Kensuke was staring oddly at him.  
"Well. Atleast now it's settled." he said with a smirk, knowing that he probably had a red handprint stuck on his left cheek.  
  
--  
  
Misato looked through the folder, confused. According to the date on the report, they had had it for atleast a month now - yet noone she had heard nothing about it until today. And they had said he wouldn't be called in until Unit-01 was returned from germany.. like they didn't want to prepare him at all.. or like they just assumed he'd be a great pilot from the begining.  
What disturbed her most was the way the commander had talked about the boy.. like he didn't know or care about him..  
*I know he's cold.. but to be like that to his own..*.  
She stared at the picture. The boy looked .. sad.. like he didn't know what it was to be happy.  
  
She sighed, shook her head, closed the folder and laid it back down on her desk. She wondered what Asuka would think of another pilot - she didn't seem very friendly towards Rei. She sighed again.. they had said Unit-01 would be returned in a month or two. All she could do was wait and hope.  
*See you then, Shinji Ikari...*  
  
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fWhee. Done. I'm hammering out the ideas for the next chapter right now.. and if all goes as I want it to and there are no major changes in my plans, Shinji should be appearing in chapter 5. But as for chapter 4, I'll try to get Rei to interact with Asuka a bit.. though I can't promise It'll turn out very well.... heh..  
  
And I'll admit: I have no idea how german schools tackle the issue of keeping the students fed.. no less the 'colleges' (I'm sure it's called something else - and that I've heard that term before.. but it was awhile..).. I just decided to assume that german schools provided the students with food. Hope it isn't too far from the truth.  
  
..And yes.. I know Asuka is alot different - battle-wise anyway - .. since she seems to actually like piloting in the series (or the first parts she's in anyway). Now while she'd probably been better off, I don't think she'd done much better than Shinji in the earlier battles.. which is reflected here. And I'd think considering how close her victory over the third actually was that her pride would be a bit easy to crack.. And with her being busy thinking she still has some problems dealing with AT-fields.  
  
'til next time.  
  
-Kompi 


End file.
